I am struggling to think of how to start this post so I will begin with this! I am so very out of practice of writing here (can you tell?). Since I last wrote in October the months have gone by in a blur, with a busy few weeks painting pet portraits for the festive season, and the new year began with a poorly dog and then a poorly husband (they are both OK now!). Here we are in mid-March already and on the cusp of Spring at long last.
I haven’t really been sure of what to write here recently - with all the anxiety-inducing news from around the world, sometimes it feels insignificant to be writing about myself and my drawings because much much bigger things are happening and deserve your attention. But, I still love reading other people’s posts and looking at their artwork, so surely there are people out there that will enjoy mine. There is very much still space for this sort of thing in the world - we need the lightness and joy of it amongst the darkness, maybe more than ever.
So hello! Here I am, trying to get back into the habit of writing and drawing, and most importantly, sharing it! I had made such good progress over the first half of last year, with both my writing and my artwork. Things sort of ground to a halt in late summer, when I was a bit worn out after working two part-time jobs and trying to keep on top of running my business.
I had started to develop work outside of the drawing on location I had been doing, into more resolved ideas. I created this little painting which I really love, using my sketchbook as a starting point but it is mostly from memory and imagination. For maybe the first time ever I felt like I really wanted my work to look like mine, and not like anyone else’s.
After that I didn’t really touch my sketchbooks again until last week. I started some very meandering sketches from memory, rough lines of trees and grasses. I also began to draw from a photo of Jeffers that I’ve been wanting to paint for ages, of him in the garden sniffing the air. I am hoping to develop that into a painting very soon.
Yesterday I did a very quick 10 minutes of drawing in my sketchbook whilst out on a gorgeous walk in the Spring sunshine. This morning I did the same. The drawings are unruly and unfocused, but I am just happy to be getting back to it, even if it’s just a few minutes a day.
In other news
I’m thinking about how to use this space again and I am planning to change the title, if I can come up with something better! I would really like to get back in the habit of writing regularly again, continuing to write about sketchbooks, drawing, painting, with some stuff about art materials and maybe even some nature writing in the mix. Oh and sharing more of my pet portrait work here too. If there is anything in particular you’d like to see from me, let me know!
I’ve had a few lovely portraits to work on recently too, and now have some availability over the coming weeks. If you’d like to commission something, please do get in touch!
OK that is all from me today! I am definitely not going to leave it another 5 months before I write here again…
Hello Fiona, it's been too long!
Lovely to see this post pop into my inbox. I'm really enjoying those shoreside sketches - I figure if we walked together we'd both be honing in on some of the same things, you sketching and me taking photos.
I also love Sniff The Air. I'm sure I saw this one on your stories - love the sense of movement in this one. Lovely composition.
And I agree completely - when the world feels heavy, it can feel hard to sit and create, or to share stories or experiences that feel so personal and 'small' within the wider context. But we need this. We need other things, other experiences. We need people noticing nature and sharing it and respecting it. We need people sharing their own creative journeys. This is not the time for creativity (or the community surrounding it) to feel stifled and unseen.
I'm looking forward to your next post. Would also love to see more from your walks and the places that inspire you. 😌
Fiona x
Lovely drawing of Jeffers sniffing the air!